NFL Week 12 Picks and Preview

NFL Sleepers, Picks and Week 12 Preview

Week twelve is upon us, and this is the final week of the season which features bye weeks – the Panther and the Steelers having the week off. Next week will be the first since week three that all 32 NFL teams will be in action.

Quarterbacks

(Note – the most expensive player this week is Aaron Rodgers at $9,900 and he came very close this week. However I would be very confident that he will feature in many line-ups this week, so going against the crowd might be a good tactic this week.)

Tom Brady – New England Patriots $8,600

Is there a more on form team than the Patriots right now? Cardinals fans might disagree, but right now the Patriots are demolishing good teams. This week the Lions travel to Foxborough and will prove a strong test for the New England offense, however Brady has performed much better at home than on the road this year and I see this as a good value pick.

Romo and the Cowboys are back after their bye week and their trip to the UK where they defeated the Jaguars. The Cowboys are in a fascinating head to head with the Eagles for the NFC East title, and this week travel to New York to face the Giants. Romo is on form, coming off a 3 TD and no interception game and will expect a solid game against the misfiring Giants.

Running Backs

Matt Forte – Chicago Bears $9,500

Forte has been virtually the only bright light for the Chicago Bears all year, a year that is increasingly looking like ending after week 17. Forte ran for 117 yards last week in the win over the Vikings and will hope to achieve similar (if not better) figures this week when they face the 2-8 Buccaneers, a team ranked 22nd in rush defense and 31st in total defense.

Eddie Lacey – Green Bay Packers $7,300

Eddie Lacey is a dual threat this week, both with his running and receiving. Last week he scored a TD at both, making a total of 114 yards in the game. The Packers are on fire, with back to back 50+ points games and will expect to dominate the struggling Vikings again this week. There will be many worse picks than Lacey this week.

Lamar Miller – Miami Dolphins $4,700

The Dolphins face the Broncos in Denver this week and this would normally mean you’d avoid any opposition player. However, the Broncos are struggling somewhat with their only win in the last three coming against the 0-10 Raiders. The Dolphins are very unpredictable this year, but have shown they can turn it on – the week one defeat of the Patriots being evidence. Last time out Miller ran for 86 yards and is the go to running back for the Dolphins. Another 86 yards would represent true value for a salary of $4,700.

Wide Receivers

Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys $8,100

Having already picked Tony Romo, picking Dez Bryant alongside him could pay great dividends this week. With two touchdowns and 158 yards last time out Bryant is a player on form and a game against the Giants could be the ideal match-up after a bye week. The Romo and Bryant combination adds up to $15,600 and could pay great dividends this week, especially in large entry contests.

Jeremy Maclin $7,900 and Jordan Matthews $5,500 – Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles got completely turned over in a 53-20 defeat to the Packers at the weekend. So far this season, the Eagles have bounced back with a win directly after losing and it would be a shock if it didn’t happen again against the 2-8 Titans. Maclin is the main target man for the Eagles and Matthews seems to have built up a great rapport with QB Mark Sanchez. If you have enough cash, I’d plump for Maclin, but if needing a cheaper pick, Matthews could be a great sleeper.

Tight End

Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots $7,900

This is the first time this season I have linked a quarterback with a tight end, but it seems an ideal match up. Gronkowski is the main target man in the red zone for Tom Brady and like Brady has performed much better at home this year. The Patriots are looking for their seventh win on the spin and Gronkowski will be leading the way.

Defense/Special Team

San Francisco 49’ers $3,100

This week the 49’ers play the Redskins who looked to be in a real mess in their 7-27 reverse at home to the Buccaneers, only their second win of the season. What the Redskins probably don’t need right now is a trip to San Francisco, a team who have find themselves back into playoff contention after back to back wins. Can we expect much from the Redskins offense? After last week, the answer is a straightforward no.